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Each year the Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) awards WIC Special Project Grants, on a competitive
basis, to State WIC Programs. These grants are awarded to fund
innovative projects that have the potential to improve and enhance
the WIC Program.
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2004 Special Project Grants
The theme for the FY 2004 WIC Special Project Grants and the FY 2004 Concept Papers is "Revitalizing Quality Nutrition Services in WIC." The specific focus will be on projects that address counseling methods to improve consumption of fruits and vegetables among WIC participants. Concept papers funded in FY 2003 are assumed to meet the FY 2004 RQNS requirement.
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California WIC State Agency: Implementing and Evaluating a Comprehensive Learner-Centered program to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among WIC Children and Their Families [PDF]
The California WIC Learner Centered Education (LCE) evaluation project will test the effectiveness of the learner-centered approach to WIC group education compared to the traditional, more didactic approach in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in approximately 1600 primary caregivers of WIC families. We propose that by increasing self-efficacy through a learner-centered approach to education, WIC families will be more likely to make positive health behavior changes regarding their fruit and vegetable intake than those who receive education through the didactic approach to education. The project will also assess the feasibility of implementing and sustaining LCE in California WIC sites, and will develop resources and materials to disseminate to other state WIC programs as well as other public health programs serving similar populations. The major components of this project are staff training, participant education, evaluation, and sharing of information. The staff at the five intervention agencies will be trained through a comprehensive program, Finding the Teacher Within, while the staff at the five control agencies will conduct their usual staff training and participant education. |
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Michigan WIC State Agency: www.wichealth.org: Innovative Educational and Counseling Strategies for Impacting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption [PDF]
The purpose of the Michigan FY 2004 USDA Special Project Grant is to broaden the scope of the Internet based nutrition education system www.wichealth.org, being used in seven states (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI, WA), to add three educational modules on fruit and vegetable consumption. The audience is WIC participants across the seven states, with Michigan participants being used to test the educational modules during the developmental stages. WIC participant needs and interests are a primary reason for staging educational lessons. The project will also evaluate the impact of a CD ROM and web-based stage of change/motivational negotiation training on the ability to continue moving WIC participants toward action along the Prochaska Stage of Change continuum. In addition, the project will determine the effectiveness of www.wichealth.org compared to traditional education strategies currently used in WIC clinics. This evaluation will help identify factors that may be associated with a participant’s movement over time from intent to commitment to change a behavior. Over the next three years, three fruit and vegetable modules will be added to the nutrition education delivery system that currently consists of eight modules focusing on parent-child feeding behaviors, postpartum wellness and breastfeeding. The project will address the major components of participant nutrition education and staff training using stage of change and motivational interviewing as part of nutrition education. |
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2002 Special Project Grants
The theme for the FY 2002 WIC Special Project Grants and the FY 2001 Concept Papers is "Revitalizing Quality Nutrition Services in WIC." |
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Missouri WIC State Agency: A Client Centered Approach to Education for Prevention of Overweight in Children [PDF]
This project from Missouri presents an approach to reduce overweight and the risk of overweight through nutrition education, targeting mothers and primary caregivers. The Transtheorectical Stages of Change Model is applied to assess family readiness to change and to develop a client-centered approach in order to reduce the incidence of overweight among children in the WIC Program. Based on Bright Futures in Practice: Nutrition, the project focuses on families to impact the child’s obesity through: (1) the development of counseling skills of nutrition educators; (2) the provision of a sound knowledge base to families on behavioral issues related to obesity in infants and children; and (3) adaptation of obesity prevention education materials directed at specific stages of change.
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Vermont WIC State Agency: WIC Services in the Medical Home: Improving Early Feeding Practices [PDF] (Appendices [PDF] Implementation Guide [PDF])
This project from Vermont introduces an innovative service delivery model to improve early feeding practices in children. It provides frequent contacts between parents and WIC nutritionists, including the pediatrician, as an active partner in assessing the child’s nutrition needs in an effort to enhance nutrition education to parents. A WIC nutritionist is out-stationed on a part-time basis in a pediatrician’s office in three private practices. The WIC nutritionist provides nutrition education and WIC certification services to families during well-child appointments. The focus of this project is to benefit families through (1) improved early feeding practices and outcomes by proactively responding to health issues; (2) access to program certification without an extra visit to the WIC clinic; (3) increased communications and coordination between the WIC Program and the participant’s medical home; and (4) improved continuity of enrollment and service completion by reducing "no show" rates at WIC clinics and "dropout" rates after the first birthday.
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2001 Special Project Grants
The theme for the FY 2001 WIC Special Project Grants and the FY 2000 Concept Papers is "Revitalizing Quality Nutrition Services in WIC." |
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Connecticut WIC State Agency: Project ReNEW (Revitalizing Nutrition Education in the WIC Program)
Project ReNEW is a comprehensive initiative that includes staff education and the development of educational materials and guidelines. The goals of the project are to improve staff nutrition competencies in an effort to 1) optimize the impact of the WIC Program on participant health, 2) improve the quality of interaction between WIC staff, WIC participants and the community through nutrition education and 3) sustain the enhanced quality of nutrition services provided by the Connecticut WIC Program. The educational curriculum developed under Project ReNEW includes core sessions for all levels of staff on customer service, cultural competence and breastfeeding/nutrition, and elective sessions designed to meet role-specific educational needs, such as team building, counseling skills and facilitated group discussion. |
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Massachusetts WIC State Agency: Cultural Perspectives on Childhood Overweight Among Hispanic WIC participants in Massachusetts [PDF]
The primary goal of the project was to increase the ability of the Massachusetts WIC program to provide services which promote modification and elimination of behaviors contributing to childhood overweight, in a culturally-sensitive manner, particularly among Hispanic-American participants. The project’s focus derived from the increasing prevalence of overweight among children, a paucity of effective tools for mitigating overweight, and perceived cultural barriers among nutrition staff to implementing existing educational modules on this topic. Messages and materials for nutrition education, staff training, and coordination with medical providers were developed that featured cultural perceptions of healthy weight and dietary practices. Strategies and materials for the prevention and treatment of overweight in Hispanic populations will be available to nutrition educators nationwide.
 Tools and Resources |
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2000 Special Project Grants
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 WIC Special Project Grants were awarded
to support Revitalizing Quality Nutrition Services (RQNS) in
WIC. RQNS is an evolving process of continuous program improvement.
WIC nutrition services must provide participants with what they
need, want and can use in order to assist them in achieving
and maintaining good health. The purpose of the RQNS WIC Special
Project grants is to improve and strengthen the effectiveness
of WIC nutrition services. |
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New
Mexico WIC State Agency: Promoting Healthy Feeding Relationships
and Nurturing Parenting Practices [PDF]
Through this project New Mexico WIC staff were trained to promote
and improve parent’s knowledge and skills in forming healthy
feeding relationships. The feeding relationship was used as
a way to promote a healthy parent-child relationship and healthy/positive
family functioning. In addition parenting classes were provided
to WIC participants using an evidence-based parenting program.
Tools and Resources |
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Tennessee
WIC State Agency: Reinvesting in Staff [PDF]
This project focused on staff development and training. WIC
staff in Tennessee received: the Franklin Covey self development
course; training on a client-oriented, behavioral approach to
nutrition education using the stages of change model; and intensive,
one-on-one guidance for nutrition staff (via mentors) to help
develop facilitator and counseling skills.
Tools
and Resources |
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Washington
WIC State Agency: Healthy Habits [PDF]
Staff training modules were developed that focused on client
oriented, behavioral approaches to nutrition education that
promoted family meals and physical activity. In addition, the
Washington WIC State agency awarded local agency mini-grants
for projects to increase local capacity to apply public health
approaches to develop and sustain community-based nutrition
services and chronic disease risk reduction.
Tools
and Resources |
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